Process and apparatus for making roofing elements.



F. C. OVERBURY. PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING ROOFING ELEMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5. I917- lavtentcd Nov. 26, 1918.

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HHHW. llllllll llllllI .[71 v e n Z 0 2" Frederick L. flverbu ry QM.WMWA 4? 20 rneyg STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK C. OVERBURY, OF HILLSDALE,

NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- TION or MASSACHUSETTS.

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING ROOFING ELEMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 26, 1918.

Application filed March 15, 1917. Serial No. 154,935.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK C. OVER- BURY, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Hillsdale, in the county of Bergen and State of NewJersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Processes andApparatus for Making Roofing Elements, of which the following is aspecification.

The instrumentalities for manufacturing prepared roofing are necessarilylarge and occupy much space in the factory, and are expensive not onlyas to first cost but also as to their cost' of maintenance andoperation.

The object of the present inventlon is an increased production ofroofing material at a relatively much lower cost, without duplicatingthe instrumentalities required for coating and mineral-surfacing thesheet roofing.

In accordance with the present practice, a sheet of fibrous material isfirst saturated or impregnated with a waterproofing compound consistingof asphalt or other hydrocarbon or bituminous material, after which itis coated on one face with a layer of highmelting-point pitch orasphalt, and, while the coating is relatively soft and plastic, a facingof grit or crushed slate or other mineral is applied thereto andpartially embedded therein. The sheet thus coated and mineral-surfacedis cut into shingles or strips as may be desired. During its passagefrom the impregnating vat or kettle to the cutting machine, the sheet issubjected to the treatmentof cooling or chilling instrumentaliti es. Thespeed at which the sheet may be fed through the variousinstrumentalities is necessarily limited as is well known by thoseskilled in the art, and in consequence a point is soon reached in whichwith a given set of instrumentalities the production cannot be increasedwithout the installation of a duplicate setof machinery with theconsequent increase in expense.

In accordance with my invention, I am able to increase the production ofmineralsurfaced sheet roofing without increasing the instrumentalities,and with merely the addition of a cutting machine in case the roofing isto be marketed in the form of shingles or strips. I do this by passingtwo separate. and unattached sheets of fabricin facial engagementsimultaneously through the single set of instrumentalities and thenseparately packaging or otherwise treating the sheets for final use. Inthis way I dou ble the output of the apparatus with practically noincrease in expense except as may result from the use of the rawmaterials, or from finally cutting the sheets into shingle or stripform.

On the accompanying drawing, I have in Figure 1 conventionallyillustrated the instrumentalities for simultaneously coating, surfacingand cooling two independent and separate sheets together with themachines for cutting the sheets into shingle strips.

Fig. 2 conventionally shows a vat in which two independent sheets offelt may be simultaneously saturated or impregnated.

Referring to the drawings, I have illustrated in Fig. 1, at 5, 5, tworolls of felt which have been previously impregnated with awaterproofing compound such as herein described, and from which the twosheets 51, 52, are drawn into facial contacts by draw rolls 6, 6, of anysuitable form or design, which also act to coat the outer faces of thetwo sheets with molten high-meltingpoint pitch or asphalt. After beingbrought into contact, the two sheets are fed synchronously through theremaining instrumentalities. To prevent the sheets from adhering, talc,soapstone, or other equivalent material, may be fed by any suitablemeans on the upper horizontal surface of the sheet '52 before the sheetsmeet under pressure of the rolls 6. .From the coating rolls the sheetsare caused to pass through the machine by which the crushed mineral isspread upon and partially embedded in the plastic coating. The sheetsfirst pass beneath the distributing trough 7, from which the crushedmineral is deposited-in a layer upon the coating on. the sheet 51, andthen around the roll 8 by which the mineral is pressed or partiallyembedded in the said coating. The two sheets thence pass to the roll 9and during their passage crushed slate or grit is Spread upon the stillplastic coating on the sheet 52 from the trough 10. The sheets pass upand over the roll 9, so that the lastmentioned layer of grit ispartially embedded in the coating on sheet 52. The batches of grit inthe two troughs may be different or the same in color as desiredand maybe supplied thereto through conduits 12, '13, leading from overheadreceptacles (not shown). After leaving the surfacing machine thetwosheets pass through a series of pairs of cooling drums 15 through whichwater or other cooling medium is circulated, following which the sheetspass through a festooning mechanism conventionally indicated at 16 forfurther cooling. At the ends of the festooning mechanism are the twopairs of draw rolls 17, 18, which feed the two sheets in synchronism. Upto this point, the sheets remain in facial contact and move at the samespeed through the various instrumentalities, but from the draw or feedrolls 18 the sheetsare passed in divergent paths. If the sheets are tobe packaged and shipped in roll form, they are passed to separatewinding mechanisms; but, as they may be cut into strips or shingles, Ihave illustrated the sheets as being passed to the two separate machines20, 21, arranged at difi'erent elevations. Any suitable shingleorstrip-cutting machines may be utilized for the purpose, and it is notnecessary to describe them in detail. For example, I may employ machinessubstantially as illustrated in my Letters Patent Nos. 1,182,416 and1,182,417, dated May 9, 1916.

In Fig.2 of the drawing I have shown how two sheets of felt maysimultaneously be impregnated in the same tank, the mechanism shownbeing of course conventional or more or less diagrammatic. sheets 51,52, are drawn from the rolls 30, 31, and, after passing through thebituminous or hydrocarbon compound in the tank 32 (in which the compoundis maintained in a molten condition by any suitable heating apparatus),are subjected to the action of'the squeeze rolls 33, 34; by which thesurplus compound is pressed from the sheets. I have not deemed itnecessary to illustrate the cooling drums and festooning mechanism whichwould be interposed between the compound tank and the coating rolls 66,in case the sheets be passed directly from the tank to the coatin rolls,but it will be understood that t e sheets are brought into facialcontact on reaching the cooling drums. The sheets may be faciallyseparated after being cooled and before being passed to the coatingrolls 6, 6, to permit of the application of talc, soapstone or the liketo the inner faces of the sheet to allow the necessary relative slippageof the sheets as they travel through their tortuous path to the cuttingmachines. In case of any tendency to adhere at their ed es after beingsubjected to the action of this coating rolls caused by the creeping ofthe coating between the edges of the contacting sheets, I may employseparator blades to enter between said edges and spouts for de- The twofelt.

aaeaow positing lines of talc or soapstone between the said edges ormarginal portions of the sheets.

I am aware that frequently it has been proposed to feed two sheets intocontact as in the manufacture of multiple-ply roofing, but in all of thecases of which I have knowledge such sheets were permanently united bycementitious matter into a single composite single set of mechanisms.Aside from saving floor space and labor, I am able to simplify thepiping for the cooling medium and efiect a material saving in thatrespect. Having thus explained the nature of my nvention and describedboth a process and lnstrumentalities for practising the same, w thoutattempting to describe all of the processes and different forms ofinstrumentalities which may be followed or employed, what I claim is? 1.The herein described process of manufacturing flexible roofing materialwhich consists in bringing into facial relation two separate sheets offibrous material impregnated with a waterproofing compound, coat ing theexterior faces of said sheets with a bituminous compound, spreadingcrushed mineral material on the coatsof compound and partially embeddingsaid crushed mineral therein, and then separating said sheets forfurther treatment or manipulation, the coating and surfacing operationstaking place while the inner faces of. said sheets are 1n facial orconfronting relation.

2. The herein described process of making" with a bituminous compound,spreading and partially embedding crushed mineral in one of said coatedsheets, then spreading and partially embedding crushed mineral in theother of said coated sheets and simultaneously cooling said sheets, allwhile in facial contact, and then separating said sheets for furthertreatment or manipulation.

3. The herein described process of making.

flexible roofing'material which consists in bringing into facial contacttwo sheets of fibrous material impregnated with a hydrocarbonwaterproofing compound, simultanes ously coatmg'the outer faces of saidsheets with a bituminous compound, spreading and partially embeddingcrushed mineral in one of said coated sheets, then spreading andpartlally embedding crushed mineral in the other of said coated sheetsand simultanewhich a ously cooling said sheets, all while in facialcontact, then separating said sheets, and finally simultaneouslydividing said sheets into a plurality of roofing elements.

4. The herein described process of making flexibl roofing material, asset forth in claim 1, in which the separate sheets of impregnatedfibrous material are simultaneouslyimpregnated while out of facialcontact and subsequently cooled preliminary'to process as described inclaim 1, in layer of finely divided material for preventing adherence ofthe sheets when brought into facial relation is fed between the sheetsprior to their being coated on their outer faces.

6. The combination With a machine having means for applying a Waterproofcoating compound on the exterior faces of fibrous material, and amachine having means for applying and partially embedding a surfacebeing coated.

layer of crushed mineral material in said coated faces, of means forfeeding separate sheets of said fibrous material While in con frontingfacial relation to said machines to cause the outer faces only of saidsheets to be coated and then surfaced, and means for separating saidsheets for further manipulation or treatment.

7. The instrumentalities combined as. in claim 6, in combination withmechanism for simultaneously cooling said sheets after being coated andsurfaced, and before being separated.

8. The instrumentalities combined as in claims 6 and 7, in combinationwith machines for automatically and simultaneously cutting said sheetsinto a plurality of roofing elements.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature.

FREDERICK o. OVERBURY.

